Intro to ethics Flashcards
(121 cards)
Peter Singer 1995: 174
To live ethically is to think about things beyond one’s own interests.
When I think ethically I become just one being, with needs and
desires of my own, certainly, but living among others who also have
needs and desires.
What is ethics?
Branch of philosophy concerned with questions of right and wrong
Moral judgements
3 branches of Ethics
Metaethics (language, logic; what does “good” mean)
Normative ethics (ways of behaving, codes of conduct)
Applied ethics (solving practical problems as they arise in professions
like policing and medicine)
Why do we need to study ethics?
They prepare us with rules and frameworks for decision-making
and support development.
Ethics in Criminal Justice
Decisions surrounding use of force
Questioning and analyze assumptions (e.g., the role of punishment, fairness,
systematic racism, equal opportunity)
Defining unethical behaviour
Developing critical reasoning skills
Normative Ethics
One’s conduct must consider moral
issues; one should act morally and use
reason to make decisions.
How do we decide right and wrong?
Ethical standards vary situation to situation
Ethical Relativism
What is morally ethical differs from person to person and culture to culture
When determining if someone acted morally, we need to judge them
against the standards that are appropriate for that culture, profession or
situation
3 forms of Ethical Relativism
Ethical
Cultural
Individual
Cultural Relativism
moral beliefs and practices differ from culture to culture. They do
not note which practices are right or wrong, just that they differ
Individual Relativism (Short)
Moral beliefs can vary from person to person
Objections to Cultural Relativism
What makes up a culture? There are many cultures within a
country, city, organization, how we identify changes
Cultural relativism can become transformed into individual. With
so many cultures, what is culture and what is individual?
What happens when cultures overlap? Whose standards apply?
What standards, from what historical period should apply?
When everything is relative, it suggests the debate of what is
right, should end.
Ethical Absolutism (Definition)
This view proposes that there exits an eternal and unchanging
moral law, the same for all people, at all times and places.
On true perspective
Absolutist perspective on capital punishment
Ethical Absolutism (Examples)
Murder must be given the punishment he or she deserves, or…
There is justification for judicial murder
(Abortion, illegal immigration, euthanasia)
Ethical Pluralism (Short)
There are many truths, rather than a
single truth
Four Principles of Ethical Pluralism
Understanding, Tolerance, Standing up against evil, Fallibility
Moral Absolutism
The view that there is one set of moral rules, principles, or values that. is true for all people and for all times
Pluralist or (Pluralism)
The Belief that diversity and multiple perspectives coexisting in a society is both inevitable and beneficial. It emphasizes mutual respect among different cultures, groups, and individuals, recognizing that no single perspective or vale has a monopoly on truth or validty
“Absolutist”
“Some things are always are right and some things are always wrong”
Law in Ethics
Legislature, Statues, Regulations
-Not intended to incorporate ethical values, but sometimes ethical standards may be reflected in laws. (Murder or Rape)
Ethical Standards
Not written, but represent the collective experience of society; norms
Ethical Dilemma as apposed to merely a dilemma
An ethical dilemma arises only when a decision must be made that involves a conflict at the personal, interpersonal, institutional, or societal level or raises issues of rights or moral character.
Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice
- Use of Authority
- Ethical problems in relationships between personal and professional interests
- Criminal justice and public policy
- Policing Policies
- Information Sharing
- Human rights issues
- Media reporting a crime
Ethical Dilemmas working in Criminal Justice Systems
Personal & Professional Dilemmas